Hair clipper



pri 1, 1941. .1 K, PRIEST I 2,236,918

HAIR CLIPPER Filed Aug. 5, 1940 ATTO R N EYS Patented Apr. 1, 1941 HAIR CLIPPER Joseph K. Priest, Nashua, N. H., assigner to American Shearer Mfg. Co., Nashua., N. H., a. corporation of .New Hampshire Application August 3, 1940', Serial'No. 350,457

5 Claims.

rihis invention relates to hair clippers and especially to -that type of clipper which has a cut-v ting bar provided with teeth upon which a knife bar provided with corresponding teeth reciprocates.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a top View of the clipper before the pressure cap is put in place. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig, 1 but including the pressure cap and associated parts. Fig. 3 is a side view of the clipper with parts of the operating handles omitted. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the pressure cap and Fig, 5 is a top View of Fig. 3.

In the drawing the numeral I indicates ythe lower cutting bar which is rigidly associated with the handles 2 in the conventional manner. The spring 3 is contained in the housing 4 which is a part of the handle 2 and its free end carries a dished cap 5 which is adapted to be engaged by the projection 6 of the movable handle l. This handle l moves n the post 8 (see Eig. 2). The forward end of the handle 'I has an integral downward extension S, the end of which rests in a central notch 9a of the movable knife bar Ill. The knife bar I0 is provided with two rectangular openings II through which extend projections I2 which are aixed to the lower cutting bar.

At the top of the post 8 is an extension or neck i3 of reduced diameter and a head I4 of relatively small thickness but of larger diameter than the neck I3.

The side top surface of the spring housing 4 is preferably flattened ol at i (see Fig. 2).

The device assembled as indicated in Fig. l is v.

now ready to receive the pressure cap I6. The under side of this cap It as shown in Fig. 4 is provided near its forward edge with integral cast pockets I'I and downwardly projecting ribs It. Small ball bearings I9 occupy the pockets Il. The ribs I8 engage the sides oi the posts I2 and prevent lateral movement of the cap.

Near the center of the inner surface of the cap there is positioned a fork member 2li, the fork being dimensioned to receive the head I4 of the post 8 and to have its forward edge portion bear against the under surface of said head I4. The rear portion of the cap is provided with a threaded aperture ZI to receive a heavy closely threaded screw The forward portion of this screw 22 is associated with a spring 23 whose outer attened end rests against the flattened part I5 of the housing 4. The position of the screw 22 with respect to the cap I6 is controlled by the knurled screw head 24.

When the parts described have been assembled in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 a turn ofthe screw 22 will operate to raise the rear portion of the cap It and to cause the cap to rock on the head M of the post .8, whereby pressure is lapplied against the movable cutting plate I0 through the balls I9.

Cutting tension is efective only when applied to the top cutting plate and as far forward thereon as possible. Most of the cutting of the clipper Iis done at the points of the top plate teeth. To further this purpose the top plate on a well-made clipper is slightly concavely ground from front to rear. In standard clippers the pressure cap is ordinarily assembled with a bolt screwed through the bottom plate and is held in place by the bolt and by a tension nut and washer on the bolt and. bearing against the outer surface of the cap around the hole in the cap through which the bolt extends. When the tension nut of such a conventional clipper is turned, the extension is wholly downward on the whole cap and is therefore largely wasted for the purpose of cutting efficiency. In the clippers of this application the extension is applied from the rear and is effective not by depressing the cap but by powerfully raising the rear of the cap, thrusting the forward end downward on the top plate with a powerful leverage from the fulcrum where the pocket plate 20 engages the under surface of the head I4 of the post 8- V The forward end of the new cap is not located, .as in conventional clippers, by tting a recess or aperture over the guide pins I 2 on the bottom plate, but these guide pins are engaged by the two re-arwardly pointing ribs I8 which locate the cap more accurately and permit it to be assembled by sliding the cap toward the handles, which action also engages the cap pocket 2!) with the head i4 of the post 8.

The main mechanical advantage of the new clipper is in the application of the cutting tension. By positioning the tension-controlling member at the rear and between the handles an opportunity is afforded of giving a stream-lined effect to the cap which, as indicated in Figs, 3 and 4, is higher at its central portion than at its sides. Such stream-lined eiect greatly improves the appearance of the clippers and is expressive of the increased efficiency of the new device.

I claim:

1. A hair clipper comprising a lower toothed cutting bar, a knife bar provided with correspending teeth movable laterally upon the lower cutting bar and a tension cap having a forward, under-edge portion in engagement with the upper surface of the knife bar, a fulcrum intermediate the forward and rearward end portions of the cap and a tension-controlling element arranged to raise the rear portion of the cap and to cause the same to rock on the said fulcrum and thereby forcibly'to apply pressure through thev forward under-edge portion of the cap against fthe `top surface of the upper knife bar.

2. A clipper such as is described in claim 1 in which the forward lower edge section of the cap is provided with lball-bearing resting against the upper knife bar and pressing downward upon it.

3. A clipper such as is described in claim 1 in which lateral movement of the upper knife bar is effected via an extension of a handle movable. on a fixed post and in which said xed post is provided with la head, the under side of said head being in turn engaged by a fork located near the inner central `part of the cap toprovidethe fulcrum 'through which .the force of the tensionforward edge of the cap to fthe movable knife bar.

4. A clipper such as is described in claim 1 in which the bottom plate is provided with guide pins for the upper knife bar and in which the cap is provided on its under side with ribs adapted to engage the forward and one side edge only of said pins and in which the under side of the cap is provided with a fork member opening toward the rear to receive the fulcrum head, whereby the cap in its assembly with the other parts of the clipper is `positioned by being slid toward the handles of the clipper.

5. A clipper such as is described in claim 1 in which the fulcrum is =at the center of the under vside of` the cap and in which the top walls of the cap slope away in a downward direction with respect to a line extending from the highest part of the outer surface of the cap toward the center of its front edge.

JOSEPH K. PRIEST. 

